poke with several teammates before leaving

PARIS - Paris Saint-Germain narrowly avoiding a second straight defeat in a scrappy 1-1 draw at mid-table Guingamp in the French league, prompting criticism of sloppy defending at set-pieces by coach Laurent Blanc on Saturday. Center half Alex headed home from a corner in the 87th minute after striker Mustapha Yatabare did the same three minutes earlier to give Guingamp the lead. PSG was outplayed by Guingamp for much of the match, three days after losing 2-1 at home to Montpellier in the French Cup. "Weve conceded two goals in three games from set-pieces," Blanc said. "At the moment our opponents know that they can hurt us on corners and free kicks. We always seem to have a player whos not really concentrating and loses their player. The same thing happened against Montpellier." Second-place Monaco can close the gap at the top to three points if it beats Marseille at home on Sunday. Blanc called the pitch "detestable" in the rainy conditions and said "it favoured one team (Guingamp) more than the other." However, Blanc praised Guingamp coach Jocelyn Gourvennec. "With the limited means he has, what Gourvennecs doing is incredible," Blanc said. With PSG star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic having a rare off day, Yatabare caught the eye and rose impressively to head Guingamp in front from Rachid Aliouis corner in the 84th. "Guingamp played with a lot of heart and caused us problems on the break," PSG goalkeeper Salvatoire Sirigu said. "We knew they were very good on set-pieces. We need to think about the mistakes we made." PSG was missing captain Thiago Silva, who sat out the match with an ankle injury and was replaced at centre half by Marquinhos, who was again out of sorts after a poor match against Montpellier. After a scrappy opening to the match, Ibrahimovic tried his luck 40 metres out with an ambitious free kick that he blasted straight into the Guingamp wall, and Alioui went on a surging run and hit a powerful low shot just past the post. PSG responded quickly and Edinson Cavani came close to his 21st goal of the season when he turned sharply and his goal-bound shot hit a defenders thigh. On halftime, Alioui went close with a swerving free kick that Sirigu saved with his legs. "It was very hard to read the trajectory of the ball," Sirigu said. The ball bounced up and hit the crossbar, and it appeared that Guingamp should have got a penalty when Marquinhos grabbed Yatabare around the neck and pulled him down as he was about to pounce on the rebound. "I dont know if it was a penalty or not, theres no point talking about it," Sirigu said. Alioui continued to cause problems after the break, and his cross was headed just wide by Yatabare. Ibrahimovic managed his first shot on target in the 53rd, but his low strike was comfortably saved by Guy Ndy Assembe. PSG midfielder Javier Pastore, who had a disappointing game, was taken off midway through the second half and replaced by winger Lucas. But Guingamp continued to look the better side, forcing two corners in quick succession. The match between Toulouse and Bastia was postponed because of the local rivers rising water levels. Toulouses stadium is on an island and the citys prefect has banned any access due to the threat from the Garonne River, the French league said in a statement. No new date has been set. Also, it was: Ajaccio 1, Sochaux 1; Montpellier 3, Nice 1; Nantes 0, Reims 0; and Valenciennes 1, Lorient 1. In Sundays other games, Bordeaux hosts Saint-Etienne and resurgent Lyon faces Evian. Third-place Lille was held to 1-1 by struggling Rennes on Friday. Greg Little Jersey . -- Mississippi State was crushed twice by Florida last season, once by 35 points and the other by 25. DJ Moore Youth Jersey . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-sam-mills-panthers-jersey/ . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Will Grier Womens Jersey . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Greg Olsen Jersey . - The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday.ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves did everything they could over the last year to find a team willing to trade for struggling second baseman Dan Uggla. There were no takers. Ugglas frustrating, four-year tenure with the Braves ended Friday when the team requested unconditional release waivers on a former starter still guaranteed over $18 million for the remainder of this year and next. "Weve been very active making calls for the last month," general manager Frank Wren said. "We got to a point where we realized that this was probably our only avenue." Uggla received the news during an early afternoon meeting at Turner Field with Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez. "He was professional, just like he always has been and always will be," Gonzalez said. "Now he goes out and he can explore other opportunities. Somebody will give him a chance, and we wish him the best of luck." In his fourth season with the Braves, the 34-year-old Uggla was batting .162 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 48 games and 130 at-bats. He had a 33-game hitting streak in 2011, the franchises second-longest, but also struck out 495 times in 451 games over the last three years. Uggla was benched permanently on May 28 when the Braves purchased the contract of second baseman Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Gwinnett. The teams patience with Uggla appeared to wear thin last Sunday when he was suspended one game for reporting just 30 minutes before the start of a game at the Chicago Cubs. Uggla, a three-time NL All-Star, hit .179 with 22 homers and 55 RBIs last year and underwent corrective eye surgery last summer. He struggled so much that he was left off the post-season roster after losing his job to Elliot Johnson, a journeyman claimed off waivers in late August. The Braves reinserted Uggla as the starter at the beginning of spring training this year, but he hit .212 in April and .080 in 25 at-bats during May. "It waasnt because he didnt prepare or didnt work hard," Wren said.dddddddddddd "He did all those things, so I cant answer what happened from a performance standpoint." The Braves recalled utility man Tyler Pastornicky from Gwinnett to take Ugglas spot on the 25-man roster before Fridays game against Philadelphia. Atlanta acquired Uggla on Nov. 16, 2010, when Wren traded infielder Omar Infante and reliever Mike Dunn to the Marlins. Wren soon signed Uggla to a five-year contract worth approximately $62 million. "When we made the deal, right-handed power was of the most difficult things to acquire," Wren said. "It was the perfect fit at that time. Even the first year, Dan hit 36 home runs, and we felt like this was the perfect match. It didnt continue to fit as well." After meeting with Wren and Gonzalez, Uggla spoke with several teammates before leaving the clubhouse seemingly for the last time. "Its obviously a tough day for me," first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "He was beloved by everybody in this clubhouse. He came in here every day and worked hard. He already told us he wants us to go on. Its definitely going to take a while for me (to get over)." Added right fielder Jason Heyward: "He always hustled, did not complain one time, wanted to be in the lineup. Theres not enough good things we can say about him." With 67 games remaining, the Braves are tied for first place in the NL East with Washington. Wren likes the makeup of his roster now, but will continue to consider ways to improve before the trade deadline later this month. "We have some really good pieces and we have some good, young players (in the minors) that we think can help us in the second half," Wren said. "Well look for ways to improve our club internally, maybe externally, but we do think that the foundation of a real good ballclub is here." ' ' '